Page 56 of Caleb's Salvation
In the end Shelby got a little bit plastered and the party concluded when Eli decided she’d had enough. That point being when she stood up on one of the tables and started to tell everyone the story of some cat named Stumpy.
Eli bundled her into her coat and gloves and carried her Rhett-Butler style out of the bar to his truck with everybody behind them clapping and hooting.
It reminded me, for a second, of back home after a church wedding. Pop would stand up before some young couple and talk about sins, temptations and the sanctity of fornication, which I thought was the least romantic thing ever. But at the end, the groom got to kiss the bride, politely, and everyone in the church would stand and applaud.
Those had been my favorite days.
“What?” Caleb prompted me with a nudge against my shoulder.
I shook my head. “Just thinking about home. How there had been some good days. Happy even. I know he kicked me out, but as much as he was all I had, I was all he had, too. Sometimes I wonder if he regrets what he did.”
“You should talk to him,” Caleb encouraged.
I nodded wondering if that was just one more reason why Caleb thought I needed to leave Hope’s Point. I didn’t say anything, just reached out my arms for the sleeping baby on his chest.
“I need to get him bundled up and into the carrier.”
“You don’t need the carrier. I’ll carry him home.”
“I can manage,” I said a little stiffly and not sure why. Just yesterday he’d told me what I was supposed to expect from him.
Sex. Not support.
Fucking. Not lending a hand.
Although in one way or the other, he’d been doing that since I got to Hope’s Point. He’d just been surly about it.
Except tonight it didn’t feel like he was doing this begrudgingly. Tonight, I thought, really didn’t make any sense at all. Unless, of course, it made total sense.
“Vivienne,” he snarled, not letting go of Sam. “You get his stuff. I’ll get him in his gear and walk the two of you home.”
“I don’t have a choice, do I?”
“No,” he said firmly.
I collected our stuff and, like he’d undone Sam, he buttoned him up. The party was still going with some folks who weren’t ready to leave. Together, Caleb and I waved to everyone left at the bar then started the walk to my cabin.
Again, I had to question what it all meant. There was no question of us having sex tonight. He already knew my feelings on that with Sam in the room. Given how loud I’d gotten, there was certainly no question about doing it with Sam around.
My son was not going hear his mother ever screaming,Yes, yes. Harder, harder!
However, that meant another night without Caleb. I thought about my cold bed and shivered a little.
“Tonight was nice,” I said, breaking the silence, trying to work up the courage to say what I wanted to say. “Shelby and Eli are so in love. Anyone can see it.”
“Yep.”
“You had to hear how she went on and on about his jeans getting wet when he kneeled down to propose.”
He snorted. “Oh trust me, I heard it. She must have told the story a hundred times.”
I laughed because it was true.
“You leaving with me,” I put out there. “You don’t think that might raise a few eyebrows?”
“Walking you home in the middle of the night is something that would be expected of me,” he said gruffly.
“Hmm. What about fetching me all my beers and holding Sam most of the night? Would that be expected?”
